


Luna Nova, we have a problem

by Dyslexic_linguist



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Space, Astronauts, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, For Science!, Getting Back Together, Lesbians in Space, Minor Ursula Callistis | Chariot du Nord/Croix Meridies, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:47:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27777112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dyslexic_linguist/pseuds/Dyslexic_linguist
Summary: When the Shiny Rod 13 moon mission is crippled by a catastrophic explosion, Astronauts Diana Cavendish, Amanda O'Neill and Atsuko Kagari have to work together with Luna Nova Mission Control to overcome life-threatening mechanical failures - as well as their complicated past - to succeed in their risky return home.
Relationships: Andrew Hanbridge & Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Diana Cavendish & Amanda O'Neill, Diana Cavendish & Hannah England & Barbara Parker, Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Hannah England & Atsuko "Akko" Kagari & Barbara Parker, Hannah England/Amanda O'Neill
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	Luna Nova, we have a problem

**_July 20, 1969_ **

_"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have an incoming special report from none other than the Moon itself. Yes, we are very happy to report that the Shiny Rod 8 moon mission has been successful in its latest stage - that the lunar module Arcturus has landed safely on the moon. Right now, as we speak, astronaut Chariot Du Nord is donning her space suit while her colleagues make final preparations for the first ever "Moon Walk". If all goes well, and we sincerely hope it does, this would be a landmark achievement not only for Luna Nova Space Agency but all of humanity - the first woman, the first human, on the moon…"_

"Holy shit, it's really gonna happen." Amanda O'Neill muttered as she took another strong swig from her beer bottle. She received a hard snack on her arm by her “on-again, off-again” girlfriend Hannah England, the British redhead scolding her American counterpart for the foul language. Before the two could descend any further into their petty argument, the brief quarrel was cut short by a firm shush from Diana Cavendish, ever the model employee even outside of work.

“Are the both of you going to mar this momentous occasion with your trivial squabbles? Some of us are trying to watch.” She gestured to their collection of work - friends from Luna Nova, who had used the intermission to stare at the troublesome couple. Blushing, Hannah gave a meek nod whereas a defiant Amanda merely grunted, though her tender squeeze of the Brition’s hand hinted at her apology. Crisis averted, the group carried on with their informal “Moon Landing” house party, eyes focusing back on Diana’s fancy RCT-100 - _the latest model in colour television_ , an envious Lotte had noted.

Naturally, the relative peace had to be tested by Babara Parker, the scoundrel only matched in haughtiness by her childhood friend Hannah. “Did you really have so little faith in our seniors, Amanda?” The dark-haired junior astronaut smirked. “I know Nelson gets on your back for your reckless piloting, but I didn’t think you’ll hate her that much for that 3 month flight simulator ban.”

Amanda scowled, but the glare from her girlfriend persuaded her to let the teasing slide. “I’m just saying, it's hard to believe how far we’ve come. I mean,” she paused, swallowing hard. “Wasn’t it only 5 years ago that we lost Woodward and Beatrix in that damned flight test?”

A hush fell over the room as the horrors of Shiny Rod 1, buried away in the recesses of their minds, came flooding back into their collective consciousness. Constanze took out a stained handkerchief to dab away at her eyes, though nothing could remove the terrible sight burnt into her brain - that scorched corpse of a rocket, reeking of smouldering electronics and burnt flesh. Lotte let out a heavy sigh into her hands, remembering the kind smiles Woodward would so freely give in life, and how so little of that beautiful face had remained in death. Diana’s hands shivered, as she recalled the inspirational figure that her godmother was, her entire motivation to join the Luna Nova space programme, and how her hero was so unforgivingly scarred by that hateful fire...

Coughing, Diana stood up and held up her glass. “To Woodward and Beatrix.” She toasted, tears welling up in her eyes. “Today, we have seen and gone further to where they could not, because they are the giants whose shoulders we stand on.”

“To Woodward and Beatrix.” Came the solemn echo, as the room drank in memory of their fallen comrades. Diana sat back down, receiving a concerned pat on the back from Amanda. She offered back a weak smile.

“But yes, Amanda is right.” Diana nodded. “We have come incredibly far since then. Just consider the docking procedure Nelson did to connect _Yggradraisil_ to _Arcturus._ ” The blond chuckled. “I myself have practiced that maneuver hundreds of times in the simulator, and yet I’m amazed she actually accomplished it, in real life…” 

“Mission Control was equally elated.” A chirpy voice from behind made Diana jump, but her annoyance at being interrupted quickly diminished when she saw the bright-eyed lady it belonged to. “Never thought I’ll see the day Finnelan cheer for Nelson, but I guess all sorts of historical firsts are being made today.” Said Atsuko Kagari, wearing the widest smile on her face.

Diana greeted her favourite houseguest with a kiss on the lips, ignoring the jeers of mock disgust from Amanda and Barbara. “I’m guessing things are going well at Luna Nova?” She grinned, taking the bottle of champagne from the Japanese astronaut. _Bollinger_ , she noted. Well, if the drink was good enough for MI6, she would have no complaints.

“Oh, they’re all so nervous you’ll think Amanda was the one piloting the Command Module.” Akko waved back at the said astronaut casually pointing a middle finger in her direction. She shrugged her shoulders. “I honestly don’t get it. With Chariot as the commander, I’m sure everything will go great.” Diana leaned forward to give the fangirl another kiss on the nose, amused by her apparent admiration for the older astronaut.

“Well, the docking procedure was a little dicey at the start.” Lotte noted. “I was sweating bullets when they mentioned they needed a reattempt.”

“Really? I couldn't tell.” Admitted Hannah, a tinge of surprise in her voice. She was the only member of the clique not enrolled in the space program, and at times felt lost amongst the jargon tossed around by the Luna Nova staff. “From a layperson’s point of view, it seemed fairly smooth?”

Amanda chuckled, a devious joke forming in her head. “Well darling, let me simplify the process for you.” Taking the empty glass from her bemused girlfriend’s hand, she explained. “Let’s say this is you, the Lunar module, also called the LEM.” Shaking the empty glass in her left hand, Amanda then used her right to steer her beer bottle towards its open top. “Now here I come in the Command module, and its bottleneck is the… probe.” Already sensing the dirty undertones, Diana let out a quiet sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. Contrarily, Akko began to snicker - unlike her uppity girlfriend, she could always appreciate Amanda’s lowbrow brand of comedy.

“Now the important thing when I’m penetrating the lunar module is my angle and relative speed.” Continued Amanda, her enthralled girlfriend still oblivious to the innuendo. “Go in too fast, or in the wrong position, and it can really damage you, the lunar module.” She was really struggling to hold in her laughter now, especially as she inserted the bottleneck in and out of the glass cup in the most suggestive way possible, right in front of Hannah’s innocent eyes. “But with a skilled enough pilot like myself-” Lotte and Barbara winced, the implication being a bit too obvious at this point “-the probe slides in perfectly, and you’re left with the most amazing feeling in the world as everything just _clicks_.” For extra emphasis, she threw in a free wink at her bewildered partner.

Hannah was still trying to puzzle out the analogy when she caught Akko holding in her laughter, as well as the slight blush on Diana’s face. Blood rushing to her face, she smacked Amanda square on her cheek as she finally clued in on the vulgar prank.

“You bastard!” 

Amanda didn’t seem to mind the tirade of insults spewing from her furious lover, slapping her knee as she threw her head back in laughter. Soon the entire party was cracking up, with even the dignified Diana making a futile attempt to conceal her chuckles. An exhausted Hannah retreated to burying her hot face in her hands, shrugging off Amanda’s offer of an apologetic hug. She did eventually sink back into the comforting embrace, albeit not without some justified grumbling.

“ _Alright, we are back with the main story for tonight, and I suspect, what shall be the main story for a long time to come.”_

In an instant, the boisterous commotion of the party fell silent as all eyes turned back onto the little screen before them.

“ _Luna Nova has given the go ahead for the extra vehicular activity - that is the walk on the moon, and we will soon be receiving live footage from the exterior camera of the Arcturus lunar probe. We’ll now be hearing from the two astronauts in the LEM, Croix Merides and Chariot Du Nord, as they make their historic descent to the moon’s surface. Over to you, Dr Merides._

_“_ They’re forgetting another historical achievement.” Amanda whispered into Hannah’s ear. “The first ever Moon Mile club.” The still peeved redhead jabbed her elbow into her crass partner’s sides, earning a well deserved groan. “What, those two are nearly as bad as Akko and Diana. You can’t tell me they’re not gonna make out a little!” The loudmouth American was once again quickly shushed, this time followed by several annoyed glares from around the room. Rubbing her injured sides, Amanda mumurred an apology.

“ _Greetings from the Arcturus, Earth. This is Dr Merides speaking, and uh, right now you should be able to see my partner coming down the LEM ladder. How’s thing’s looking, Chariot?”_

The television blinked, before cutting to a fuzzy video of an astronaut, the eerie void of deep space around her, slowly making her way to the pale lunar surface lying a few feet beneath her. The lump in Akko’s throat went dry as she sucked in her next breath. Diana gave her fidgeting hand a gentle squeeze.

“ _It’s looking… beautiful Croix. I’m at the foot of the ladder… you can see the LEM footpads are depressed on the surface, uh maybe one or two inches. It’s almost like a powder...”_

Amanda swore she could hear a slight wheeze in Chariot's voice. The French astronaut must be getting emotional. Not that Amanda could blame her - even Constanze’s nose was sniffling.

_“Sorry, I’m uh, choking up a little. I’ll be stepping off the ladder in a moment. It’s just… all the hard work and effort that brought us here, from Nelson hovering above us in the Command Module, to the amazing folk at Luna Nova… and of course, everyone watching this broadcast back home. I just want to say thank you for believing in us… because…”_

The pale lunar soil, having been undisturbed for eons, shook slightly as the first step on the Moon was taken, followed by a second.

_“...a believing heart is it’s own magic.”_

_…_

The moon looked so small from her garden. Akko squinted once more into the cold night sky, flickering her thumb in and out of the moon’s view. How far it must be, this stunning, white sphere floating above her. How far Chariot, Croix and Nelson must have gone. She could hear another champagne bottle being popped open in the kitchen, but she didn’t really care for another drink. A night like this deserved her sober mind.

“You’re not drunk, are you Akko?” A tipsy blond came stumbling out of the house, in her left hand a glass of the guilty liquid. Akko could feel the warm smile on her lips as she kissed the nape of her neck. “You’ve been standing out here for almost an hour.” A blissful sigh flowed down her collar. “Not that I would blame you, the view is gorgeous.” Diana hummed as Akko leaned back into her embrace, the couple content to spend a few more minutes admiring the gentle glow of the moon, wondering about their friends walking amongst its tender radiance.

“They’ll be heading back to the LEM soon.” Akko whispered as she broke from the embrace, sitting herself down on the grass lawn. Diana was about to protest when Akko patted the ground beside her, an open invitation for future snuggling. Diana’s lips curled, and soon her silk dress was also stained by the cold dew of the grass. A couple of years ago the noble-blood Diana would have scoffed at soiling any of her clothes, but perhaps Aunt Daryl was right - Akko was a terrible influence on her.

“For the first time in human history, when we’re looking at the moon, someone is there looking back at us.” Akko turned to face Diana, staring intently into her blue eyes. “It’s a miracle. Our miracle. Our believing hearts…”

“Are their own magic.” Diana finished the phrase, before chuckling. “I can’t comprehend it. The Wright Brothers. Charles Linderburgh. And now, Chariot Du Nord.” She cracked up, the incredulity of the sentence hitting her. “Chariot du Nord!" She wheezed in and out, the hilarity of the situation only escalating upon seeing Akko’s offended frown. Giggling, she sought to clarify her laughter to the fangirl, lest she be kicked to the couch later for her transgressions. “Don’t get me wrong, you know I love her, but it's hard to think of her as a cornerstone of history.”

Akko shook her head, before sighing and giving a small smile. “No, I understand. It seems like only a day ago she was just our kind mentor who brought us free lunches and gave us passes for being late.” Diana rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to correct Akko that it was only her who was tardy. “I still remember my first mission with her, on Shiny Rod 5. It was just a simple Earth-orbiting route, and yet, when I looked out of the window-” Akko reached her hand out to the stars. “-I could see the moon, and it felt as if I could just… grab it. The moon never felt that close to me again.” Another sigh escaped the brunette as she withdrew her hand, her words coated with melancholy.

Diana shifted to face the Japanese astronaut, about to offer some words of comfort when she noticed the expression on her face change. The wistful look in Akko’s eyes became those burning with fierce determination, the change so abrupt it made Diana startle a bit.

“I’m going there.” Akko declared. “I’m going to the Moon.”

Diana felt a pang of guilt ring throughout her core. Sure, Akko was a gifted astronaut, one with a keen eye for detail and a creative mind… but the seats for future Moon Missions were tight and young astronauts like her were not the favourites for such high-key positions. Worse, Akko lacked the military flight experience that most junior astronauts had, having entered with only a civilian expertise in piloting. It was a testament to her skill that she had made it that far in the program, but she knew it was likely that Akko would be delegated to smaller roles. It made her heart ache, knowing the stubborn astronaut would be increasingly furious with each flight she missed. For a brief moment, Diana wondered if Akko would hold it against her if she went to the Moon without her… 

Forcing out a smile, a white lie slipped from her lips. “I’m sure your time will come.” Diana reassured, patting her girlfriend’s arm. “They're not going to cut the program before number 14.”

Akko raised an eyebrow. “14? I should hope to have gone to the moon long before then!” She laughed, oblivious to her troubled partner. “Plus, the earlier I get to the moon, the faster I can officialise your lunar mountain.” Akko added, winking at her blushing girlfriend.

Diana averted her eyes, unable to face Akko with the reminder of _that_ romantic gesture. “Th-the IAU will never allow it!” She stuttered, groaning as she cupped her warm face with her palms. “Besides, you can’t even see it from here.”

Akko let out a gasp of mock horror. “What, you can totally see it! You think I chose any crummy landmark to remember you by?” Taking her partner's hand, Akko guided it to point at the shadow of the moon. “See where the shadow borders the white area. That’s the Sea of Tranquility, right? And the little pyramid on its edge is your mountain. Mount Cavendish.”

Diana took a shy peek, her face still glowing red. It was so like Akko to start an informal tradition of naming navigational landmarks she discovered after her closest companions. It was even more like her to start taking the idea seriously, going as far as to petition the IAU to immortalise her as a lunar mountain! Frankly, she found the notion to be another of her silly, nonsensical lovesick thoughts… even if her passion was a little endearing. Massaging her temple, Diana squinted as hard as she could. “Nope, I don’t see it.” She let out a gentle sigh, knowing it wouldn’t be that easy to dissuade her partner.

As expected, a defiant Akko smirked. “Well, obviously, you need to look harder, go look for your mountain…” The Japanese girl leaned over the Brit’s body, causing her to squeal as the brunette caressed her sides. “I’ve already discovered another set of Cavendish ‘mountains’ here…” As Diana peered down, she noticed Akko giving a lewd stare at her…

“Akko!”

Her indignant squeaks soon turned to fervent giggles as Akko pushed her down onto the grass, the two sharing in their drunk affection. Later, Diana would blame their intoxicated state for having such an undignified intimate session, especially when Amanda caught the two of them in a compromising position…

But back in the present, the two lovers had the garden to themselves and thoughts about journeying to other worlds soon slipped away. After all, they were quite content with being where they were right now - by each other's sides, enjoying the gentle glow of the moon.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hey LWA fans!
> 
> This is my first time writing for this fandom after reading so many talented fics here, I hope I can live up to the writing standard this community clearly has haha. I'm quite surprised not to have encountered an astronaut AU here yet, so hopefully this is fertile ground for my own.
> 
> As you can guess from the title, this fic is heavily inspired by both the movie and true events of Apollo 13. There will be many deviations from both the historical and movie narrative, some to better fit the characterisation and world of the LWA, and others for plot purposes. Nevertheless, I aim to stay true to the spirit of Apollo 13 - of how dedication and human ingenuity can lead to greatness.
> 
> I will address one of the more glaring deviations. In this AU Shiny Rod 8 is the first mission to land on the moon, whereas in our actual history it is Apollo 11 that is the first to land on the moon. I chose an earlier moon landing mission so as to increase the number of flights between the first moon landing and number 13th, which will make sense in later chapters.
> 
> Also fun fact, Akko wanting to name a lunar mountain after Diana is based on the true story of Jim Lovell naming Mount Marilyn after his wife. Like in this AU, it started out as an informal tradition but the IAU did approve of the name years into Lovell's retirement, partly because of his achievements in NASA and partly because of how useful the landmark was as a navigational tool.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this story! Do feel free to share any thoughts in the comments, I enjoy reading them! :)


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